A Run In With a Certain Dog
by Dimcairien
Summary: James, Fred, and Louis are up to trouble again. This time they're exploring the Forbidden Forest and meet an old friend of the Golden Trio. Are they ever going to stop doing things they shouldn't? And how are they going to get out of this mess?


_**A/N This story is sort of a sequel to The Destruction of Gryffindor Tower, but it isn't necessary to read. It might clear up a few references at the beginning though.  
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_**I had posted this earlier under a story for one-shots, but I figured that there would be more people reading it if it were published individually, so here it is. I will be deleting 'Random One-Shots' once I post the other story which is in it, but I'm not permanently deleting any story is taking place in early November of 2019.  
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_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.  
**_

It was a normal day in Gryffindor Tower. Well, as normal as was possible when Gryffindor was swarming with Weasleys. Hugo and Lily, the youngest of the Weasley/Potter family had joined them two months ago. Of course, there were a few Weasley/Potter's sprinkled over the other houses, Rose was a Ravenclaw, Albus a Slytherin, and Lily a Hufflepuff, but all the rest were Gryffindors, though some had already graduated.

The three pranksters of Hogwarts, well four if Roxanne was counted, also known as the Weaslotters, were in the Gryffindor common room. Roxanne wasn't with them at the time.

She was two years below them, so her schedule was a bit different, and she currently was in a class. The two were slightly annoyed with the fact that they could've been in the same year if Fred had been born two days later or Roxanne two days earlier. Late August and early September birthdays could be extremely annoying at times. The rest of Hogwarts was grateful that Roxanne was two years below the rest of the Weaslotters because there would've been a lot more danger, especially involving the moving of Gryffindor tower.

"Come on Louis!" cried James. "Don't you want to go into the forest?"

"Sure I do," answered Louis, "but Mum would kill me." Fleur Weasley was well known among the Weasley cousins as someone you didn't want to get in trouble with. Most of the children, and especially the Weaslotters had gotten on the wrong side of her temper more than once. "Also, Dad's a professor here."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt," said Fred, who rarely got in trouble. It paid to have a prankster for a father. His mother too was fairly lenient with pranks. Now and then he'd get into trouble, but often his dad could and would bail him out. "Now are you joining us or what?"

"But Dad?" questioned Louis, who hated getting into trouble. He still remembered the incident with the Gryffindor Tower two years ago. He couldn't sit comfortably for weeks afterwards.

"It's not like what happened last time," said James. "Victorie isn't here to rat on us, and the only friend who's in an authority position is Frank, and he won't get us in trouble."

Frank was Neville's son who was two years above the Weaslotters, and had become a Prefect the previous year.

"All right, all right, I'll come," said Louis. "But Mum and Dad better not find out. Veela and Werewolf tempers are not something you want to be on the wrong side of."

The three fourth year boys snuck out of their common room and soon arrived at the edge of the forest. It was still daytime, so they couldn't get in trouble for being outside.

"At least it's day," said James. "Dad told me his first time in the forest was at night for detention."

"I wish we could have detention in the forest," muttered Fred. "It would be better than pickled toads."

They had slowed their pace down as they neared the forest, and stopped at the front.

"Come on you two," said Louis. "You wanted to do this."

The three boys ran into the forest, eager to find whatever secrets it held. "I know there's centaurs, but that's all I know," said Fred.

"Do you think we'll find Firenze?" asked James.

"Firenze?" questioned Louis.

"The Divination teacher in Dad's fifth year," explained James. "He's a centaur."

"Dunno," said Fred, "but we better find something."

The three continued on their way deep into the forest. Slowly the shadows started to lengthen. "Uh, guys, so you think we should turn back?" asked Louis. He didn't want to get caught in the forest at night. During the day was one thing, just about everyone went into the forest during the day at some point during their Hogwarts' years, but night was a different matter.

"From an adventure?" asked Fred skeptically. "I should think not."

"Okay," said Louis, but he seemed a little uncertain. Suddenly he jumped and said, "What was that? It sounded like a growl!"

"I didn't hear anything," said James.

"Trust the genes," said Louis pointing to his ear. He has inherited the acute hearing of a werewolf from his father, even though Bill wasn't exactly a werewolf. There still were some qualities of it, though they were the better ones. He had also gotten some of the speed and muscle.

"Relax Louis," said Fred. "It's probably some pet Chimaera of Hagrid's or something along those lines."

Fred's statement didn't help at all. If it did anything, it caused Louis to be a little more nervous. Even James was slightly worried. He loved creatures, but he wasn't certain if he wanted to meet a Chimaera. Louis heard the growl again, this time it was much closer. James jumped slightly as he too had heard it.

"W-Was that the sound you heard?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Louis, "and it definitely is closer."

"Do you have any idea what it is?" asked Fred.

"I dunno," answered Louis, "but I hope we don't meet it."

Louis' wish was not to come true. The boys had only gone a few yards further when they saw something that made them wish they never had come into the forest. It was a huge, ugly, three-headed dog.

"AHHHHHHH!" the three screamed together, and they turned and ran.

Unfortunately the dog had either seen them or heard them, or maybe both, and started bounding after the three boys. James, Fred, and Louis ran as fast as they could, but the dog was catching up. Suddenly, Fred, who was in the lead, crashed into something big and rather soft.

"Hagrid!" shouted Louis who quickly realized who Fred had bumped into. "There's a big dog in the forest. With three heads!"

"So yeh saw Fluffy," said Hagrid with a smile. "What did yeh think?"

The three boys stared at Hagrid in shock. It was a bloody three-headed dog! They were unable to answer as suddenly the dog bounded into view.

"Slow down there, Fluffy!" cried Hagrid, and he began to whistle.

As suddenly as Fluffy, which the boys now understood to be the dog's name, had appeared, he stopped, and yawned all three heads at the same time. Soon it collapsed onto the forest floor.

"What the hell was that?" asked James.

"It's a three-headed dog named Fluffy," Louis answered, rather shaken.

"We know that," answered James. "But how the heck did it get into the forest? Hagrid?"

Hagrid, who was still whistling gently, motioned to them to follow, soon they were on their way out of the forest.

"Well?" asked Fred once they were back on the grounds.

"That was Fluffy, a Cerberus," Hagrid answered. "Also, an ole pet o' mine."

"A pet?" asked Louis skeptically. "That was a bloody pet of yours!"

"Yeah," Hagrid answered, "though I'd like to know why yeh were in the forest."

"Surely you'd know the answer to that," answered James. "We're, well not Louis exactly, are trying to live up to our namesakes."

"OI!" cried Louis. "I'm just as much of a prankster as you two are!"

"We know," said James and Fred together.

"Boys," said Hagrid. "Now, yeh get back up ter the castle. It's almost dinner."

"But Hagrid," said Fred, as the walked up to the castle, "what is Fluffy doing in the forest?"

"Long story," said Hagrid, but he began it anyway. "Fluffy was brought inter the castle during Harry firs' year. He was guarding somethin'."

"What?" interrupted Louis.

"Nothin' yer need ter know," Hagrid answered. "Now then, he was guardin' it, an' eventually the object was destroyed because it was too dangerous. Since then, Fluffy has lived in the forest."

"A Cerberus has lived in the forest for over twenty-five years and no one's noticed?" asked James in surprise.

"Tha's because no one was suppose' ter know," Hagrid responded. "Now, don' tell anyone, 'cept maybe your parents."

"Yes, Hagrid," the three boys answered together, knowing that they probably wouldn't tell their parents, but when a family member and a close friend were both part of the staff, it was certain to get out somehow.

"I think I might ask Dad what happened in his first year," muttered James. "It sounds a lot more exciting than what happens to us."

"Yeah," agreed Fred. "Dad'll probably want to hear this story, though I hope he's okay with it. It wasn't a prank."

"I just hope Dad doesn't hear about this," mumbled Louis. "I'd never hear the end of it."

The boys continued to chatter about their adventure, James and Fred wanted to try training Fluffy for some odd reason, and Louis was only too glad to have gotten away from the dog. Thankfully, no adults found out about their adventure that night, but they never could be certain if it would happen at some point._**  
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End file.
